The release clause in Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr contract would allow him to return to the Champions League.

CR7, after leaving Manchester United, chose Al Nassr, where he became the highest-paid player ever. With this choice, apparently, the Portuguese would seem to have abandoned the idea of playing in European football and in a competition like the Champions League. However, Cristiano Ronaldo has a trick up his sleeve: his contract has a special clause that could send him to Newcastle as soon as next year.

Cristiano Ronaldo, the Champions League, and Newcastle: the clause of his contract

Cristiano Ronaldo could play in the Champions League again thanks to a clause included in his pharaonic contract signed with Al Nassr. We’ve already talked in detail about how much CR7 will earn in Saudi Arabia, but now it’s time to get specific by analyzing a particular clause that could lead him to a Premier League team as early as next season: Newcastle. It all started with a revelation in the sports newspaper Marca, which speaks of an agreement between him and his new club that would allow him to play again in the Champions League, the tournament he loves most of all.

However, how could all this be accomplished? It will be enough for the English club to qualify for the Champions League during the current season (2022-2023) to be able to access the group stage in the following one (2023-2024). In that case, the Portuguese player, who has signed a two-and-a-half-season contract with Al Nassr, would be loaned to Newcastle to allow him to play in the competition. All this would be possible because the ownership of the two clubs is the same, i.e., a fund attributable to the Saudi royal family. What are the odds of all of this happening? They are good because the Magpies are having a very good season in the Premier League.

How would Newcastle play with CR7?

Newcastle United, since they changed ownership in October 2021, have turned into one of the most interesting and strongest teams in England, so much so that they are defined as a serious candidate for the title by their opponents. Despite his 38 years, the Magpies would be stronger with Cristiano Ronaldo. But how could Eddie Howe fit Portuguese into his schemes and training? In the meantime, let’s try to understand what the module and owner 11 of the English club are.

Newcastle United usually take the field with a distinctly attacking 4-3-3. The key players in Howe’s line-up are undoubtedly Kevin Trippier (English fullback, ex-Atletico Madrid), Saint-Maximin, Callum Wilson, Svent Botman (long-sought in the past from Milan), and, above all, Miguel Almiron and Bruno Guimaraes.

The Paraguayan is a light attacking midfielder who has played in his home country, Argentina, and the United States. He is currently the Magpies’ top scorer, scoring several goals from his position as a winger. The Brazilian, on the other hand, is the most valuable shot in this new Newcastle. Paid 50 million euros in January 2022, he arrived from Lyon to take over the midfield of his new club. Born in 1997, he plays as both a midfielder and a forward, exploiting his physical strength and ball-and-chain quality. Tite rewarded him by calling him up for the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.

In this context, we imagine Cristiano Ronaldo taking Callum Wilson’s place as central striker. Over the years, the Portuguese have become more and more centralized, and at 38, he would hardly be able to fill the role of winger currently played by Almiron or Saint-Maximin. However, the England international is a tough nut to crack and will be difficult to overcome in the hierarchy of the coaching staff.